THE PHILIPPINE STAR

THURSDAY I SEPTEMBER 19, 2019 1

Lawmakers to get P100 M

under prop o sed2OZO budget
Each member of the House of ReP- in vital areas of budget execution'
resentatives will teceive P100 million Last month, The STAR reported that more than
allocatioris would be
under the proposed budget for next year, P35 billion in congressional
in the 20t0 budgei. Each House member
but such ailocition carmot be consider€d included
would be given P100 miilion while each senator
"pork barref" a ieader of the chamber
said vesterdav. would recelve P200 million, according to a lawmaker
Horr"" *iyt and means committee who reouested anonvmitY.
chairman Albay Rep. Joey Salceda said A toial of P305billion will be allotted to 305
denators be'given
70 percent-of the allocations would go to House nlembelg',mT6'lhd24 Sill
iri{iastnitfi:ie while the"6st would bank- P4.8 6iluon.
roll soft proiects like medical assistance {or Unlike the post-enactnent authority struck down
needy constituents bv the hieh court, Salceda said lawmakers would
"\{hat I know is, to ensuJe that every- hive to rJquest proiect funds from agencies before
bodyhas some minimum, P100 (million)," the executiie branch prepares
tle budget'
He ciainted that ttre 2020 budget would have no
Salieda told reporters at Malacaiang
issue that sLalled the passage of this
when asked about the congressional al- insertions, the
Iocations, vear's spendins bill.
"Thafs basically P70 million for infra-
' "tt u mns.es;un needs a health center. Howdoyou
structu€ and they wdre itemized in the tlink it wiXL funded? So do you corsider that pork?" he
NEP (Nationa] Expenditure Program)' said. "It is pork-fiee based onSupreme Cout standards'
WelL there is no such thing as non-item- And the mere fact na thele were no new insertions "
ized expmdih:re," he added. House leaders have vowed to Pass next year's
Salcida was quick to clarify that the al- budget this week. - Alexis Romero
locatiors are not the same as "porkbarrel"
that was declated unconstitutional by.the
Suoreme Court (SC).
\ p4w'Q'
i'As defined by the SuPreme Court.
the,re's none," the lawmaker said.
In 2013, the SC declared as illegal the
allocation of pork barrel, then officially
called Priority Development Assistance
Fund or PDAF.
In its ruling, the SC said the allocation
of pork barrel violated the separation of
powers by allowing lawmakers to wield
no.t-o.ru.iight, post-enactment authority